One thing that incoming med students and those coming for an elective quickly learn is that the main med school campus "Roger Guindon Hall" is detached from the main university campus. While not far, this distance becomes a factor when deciding housing and where to live. Most med students are also not aware about the shuttle service that the university has set up to get students and employees around to the different sites.

For the 2015-2016 academic year, starting September 8th 2015 till April 29th 2016 the shuttle leaves both main campus and Roger Guidon Hall every 30 minutes from 7:30am till 4:30pm Monday to Friday. On Monday to Thursday it is extended from 5pm to 10pm leaving every hour.

Things to note:

- The shuttle leaves from Main Campus, stops at 200 Lees, St. Pauls on Main Street, and then stops at Roger Guindon Hall (RGN). - The shuttle does not run on weekends, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Family Dat, Good Friday, Easter Monday, OR from December 22nd 2015 to January 1st, 2016.- During the first few weeks of September the shuttle between Main Campus and Roger Guindon Hall may sometimes fill to its limit and you may be required to wait for the next bus (usually 30 minutes later). This is especially true from 8:00-9:30 and 12:00-14:00. If you would like to use your U-Pass with public transit instead, please use the Travel Planner at www.octranspo.com to choose the most convenient route.

CLICK HERE for an updated version of this information from the University of Ottawa. See the map below for the map version of the stops.

With just over a week before residency starts, almost all of the incoming R1's are now moved in, or flying home (from summer vacation) to move this weekend. What a crazy spring it has been, I was lucky enough to help over two dozen incoming residents here in Ottawa, plus another 49 across Canada.

Across Canada? Yes, I can help match you with an agent to assist you no matter where you matched. East coast to West coast and for buying and for renting. These colleagues were specifically chosen because they understand the process of residency and have helped med students or residents regularly - plus are top producing agents in their location.

Now with September getting closer, the focus moves to medical students and their families who try and navigate the options for housing across the city. Four years of renting can be a lot of money (do the math $1600 month / 4 years = $76,800) placed in some landlords pocket. More if the student does residency here in Ottawa! But does buying make sense? Should I buy?

OR it could become a rental property if the student moves elsewhere. Properties in the proximity of the campus have some of the best occupancy rates in the city. Many families choose to use this property or downpayment as a gift to the student.

Moving to Ottawa and looking at your options for housing during med school or residency? I would love to chat. Fill out the form below, or contact me directly Matt@MattRichling.com.

In a few days, (exactly forty eight hours at the time of writing this) you along with the rest of the 3300 new residents across Canada will click the link and find out where they will spend the next two or five years of your life. Typically, once match excitement quiets down, you start to think about what is next for this new transition. Where exactly will you live??

At some point you are going to be told that you shouldn't be throwing away your money to pay off a landlords mortgage, and to just buy instead. The best advice I was given was to do your own research and find out for yourself (listen to your gut), and then decide. Don't let one source influence you, read multiple view points. Every single person has different goals and you need to figure out what makes the most sense for you. Let me try and break it down a little more. Keep in mind the biggest factor is going to be time (how long are you in one place), and budget. Let me break it down further for Med Students, Residents, Fellows, etc.

During CaRMS, UofO asked me to attend the interviews and answer any questions about Ottawa, real estate in Ottawa, how much does it cost to rent or buy, etc. I also brought a highly desired list of places to eat while in town on the tour. Keep in mind we have some amazing restaurants, so there are other places that are not listed here.

One of the first questions a new client will ask is "where should I live (or where not to) while going to med school or residency in Ottawa?" I want to walk through the process as I would with a client, which should help you get a better idea for yourself.

If you are reading this, there is a good chance that you either currently attend or have just been accepted into med school or residency here in Ottawa and looking for an apartment, condo or house. For those who are unsure of Ottawa, this can seem like a daunting task of getting familiar with locations of campuses and other hot spots. However, even for a local it can be difficult to find well priced housing near work or school.